Indeed he did. Those who bash Steve really should realize how much he contributed to this team in his tenure. He brought excitement to the team his first two seasons, high flying dunks, athletic highlights and a carefree "love playing this game" charisma. Then later in his career, landed us the number one pick overall, which of course led to obtaining Yao. And last but not least, for his climatic finale as a Rocket. Got us one of the top 5 players in the league, T-mac. Steve will be missed.
Come on, the lottery was rigged. Why would Rockets organization take the trouble of negotiating with the CBA (Chinese Basketball Assoc) when they had such a low chance of landing the no.1 pick, unless Rox knew before hand that the lottery would be rigged in their favour?
Rockets didn't negotiate until after they knew they were picking #1. Anyways, if they're dissapointed in Dunleavy, I think we should go after him. He'd be a nice addition now that he's got a couple of years under his belt to toughen up and get stronger. He would be a terriffic complimentary player to Yao and T-Mac. He could be that person at SF that ties it all together with all-round abilities and intangibles. Good shooter, good passer, decent rebounder, etc..
Don't Yao and T-mac possess all those "intangibles"? There is a reason the Rocket's don't have getting an SF as a high priority. With those two as our core, the only things we need from our SF is what JJ gives us. We're fine at that position by simply keeping Padgett, and having Boki to back up JJ. As the Boki thread points out, there must be a reason the Rocket's have kept Boki away from any offseason moves. He cannot prove himself if his playing time does not increase.
JJ is old. We need to assume that this is his last full year wit hbig minutes. Besides, we need a little more size. Dunleavy would be nice. However, I don't think Dunleavy does anything Boki can't do. But I don't think JVG's system will allow Boki to show this.
If that were so, why keep Boki so sheltered from offseason moves? Like I said before, there MUST be a reason. And I think, the reason lies in Boki's late season and post season strides. Those strides include qualities that JVG finds very attractive in a player. Hustling, defensive smart play.
No one said Dunleavy is a bust, but I know the Warriors fans feel Dunleavy didn't measure up to his #3 pick status, which I do agree. Remember? He's supposed to be the next Larry Bird. He was doomed for disappointment if people's expection for him is that high.
Boki will never make the starting line-up basd on his defense. He will improve, he will put all his effort into it, but it's highly HIGHLY unlikely he becomes a very good defensive player. The reason they sheltered him, IMO, is a CD vs. JVG thing. CD wants his pick to pan out, but JVG is not willing to sacrifice PT just for Boki to pan out. You'd have to be pretty damn thick to give someone on a rookie scale away just like that. I think Boki can be great. But in JVG's system, I'd be worried if he was starting. He's not scoring, so we're living and dying by his defense. A Euro's defense. Who's the best defensive European player in the league?
AK-47 is the exception. Can you really see Boki anywhere near Kirilenko? Can you see any European player haveing that potential?
Actually, I think the sterotype of European players not being able to defend is overstated. On average, they might not be really good defenders, but it doesn't mean none of them is. Examples: AK: finished 3rd in DPY voting last year. Ginobili: great defensive player with exceptional anticipation on steals. Pietrus: said to be the best lock-down defensive player on the Warriors team. Ilgauskas: number 7 in blocks last year Nash: one of the elite defenders in the league... ok, just kidding. Anyway, my point is, being a Euro doesn't mean not being able to defend. To the specific case of Boki, does he have the potential to be a great defender? Probably not. But, does he have the potential to be a decent defender? I think he certainly can be. It just depends on how dedicated he is on that aspect of his game. Let's not just write him off because he's a Euro.
I also remember how angry quite a few of our current board members were because the Rockets used the #1 pick on Yao Ming. He was called a "bust" and a "stiff" and quite a few other less than admirable labels. Many were irritated we didn't trade down or use the pick for a really good player (McDyess I think was one of the choices). And we still have boardsters who don't want to give new players a chance before they have even dribbled a Rocket basketball or shot a Rocket shot.
Can you imagine if we really trade the #1 pick to get McDyess or Finley?... Man, that's a scary thought! BTW, McDyess is crawling to our table now hoping to sign.
I recalled GS was going to pick Jason Williams if they had the #1 pick that year since they already have a few centers on the team. Chicago even said they would have picked Jason Williams anyways had they had the #1 pick. The media and a lot of BBS people here favored Jason Williams and Dunleavy as well.
True, however, the talking from the fans was based mostly on ignorance, and the talking from the GMs was based on smoke screens. If you watched Yao play during scouting trips, you know this guy is good. Giving the marketing ability Yao brings to your team, there is no way either Chicago or GS would pass on him. Their GMs were hyping J Will with the intention to trick CD to draft him instead of Yao, so they might have the chance.
wouldnt it be a riot if the magic drafted Yi in two years, everyone would be saying "pass Yi the damn ball!" all over again.
